Celebrate victories no matter how small. Start a process to celebrate innovations in crisis; care modifications made in the moment to overcome obstacles to care.

Honor, thank, appreciate, and recognize your nurses.

Things nurses can do every day to relieve stress and stay well:At work

Take back handwashing as your moments of self-care. During the 20 seconds of handwashing recite a meditation or affirmation, sing your favorite song, or pray. Turning these moments into self-care breaks the stress response repeatedly through the shift increasing resilience.

Take a lap with breath work. When you feel yourself overstressed, take a lap of the department for 1 minute. While walking, breathe in for 4 counts, hold for 7, breathe out for 8. This activates the parasympatheticnervous system, breaking the stress cycle. If you notice a colleague tipping over the edge, tap them out and take a lap together. Talk them through the breath work.

Going home from work

Note normalcy. Do not do the following exercises if you are driving: Start with your head to the left. Slowly turn it to the right. While turning your head, note everything normal you see, everything beautiful: the sky, a tree, a bird, a flower, the leaves. Turning the head activates the vagus nerve to break the stress response. In panic modes, we instinctively scan the world for threats. Scanning for normalcy breaks that pattern.

At home

Meditate or listen to your favorite music prior to sleep. The last things you listen to will embed in the brain. You need sleep to repair your immune system and nervous system. Do not listen to the news just before bed.

Get the mindfulness app Headspace at no cost for nurses if you meet certain conditions. HNHN members are now eligible for free access to Headspace Plus for one year. Log into your HNHN account to get it set up here.